Frontiers Records [Release date 17.02.23]
Robin’s last album ‘Standing On The Edge’ was my top album of 2021 so this new release has a lot to live up to. However, with Robin you know that quality is assured and with the same backing band as on the last album the omens look good.
It only takes a listen to the title track which opens the album to know you are on to a winner. Great melodies and harmonies abound with Robin’s soaring vocal cutting through to the fore. ‘Dead As A Bone’ then kicks off with a great riff from Andrea Seveso on guitar and proves to be another great rocker.
The pace then drops slightly for ‘Bless Me Father’ which chugs along nicely to a huge chorus with a hook big enough to bring in Jaws! A discordant start to ‘Feel Like Hell’ leads into another big riff fest which then gives way to a great middle eight featuring top fret work from Seveso.
I do like a rocking ballad and ‘Can’t Go On’, which is up next, fits the brief perfectly. A big production with a strong vocal from Robin, this is an epic song. Completely over the top but all the better for it! ‘The Endless Mile’ then gets us rocking once more with a solid riff driven on by an excellent rhythm section.
There is a school of thought that a lot of Frontier albums have a very similar sound as most are produced by and feature Alessandro Del Vecchio. However, the production here is spot on, so Alessandro obviously knows his stuff. If it ain’t broken, why fix it?
The great production shines through on ‘Fading Away’ which has a crystal clear mix with all the players clearly audible and well balanced. ‘My Only Son’ has an interesting melody line and again Robin’s vocal delivery is the star of the show.
‘When The Time Has Come’ proves to be another melodic masterpiece, whilst ‘Stronger Than Before’ ups the heavy riffage rate substantially with Seveso’s dexterous fretwork impressing throughout. That just leaves ‘Who Am I’ to round off the album in rocking fashion.
So, does this new release reach the heady heights of ‘Standing On The Edge’? For me, not quite, but that is down to my opinion. However, this is a damn fine album with great songwriting and playing throughout topped off with Robin’s fantastic vocal. Come the end of the year list, this will be vying for the top spot without a doubt. *****
Review by David Wilson
Featured Artist: JOSH TAERK
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Power Plays w/c 9 December 2024
In this sequence we play ‘The Best of 2024′ GRTR! reviewer selections
Featured Albums w/c 9 December 2024
09:00-12:00 The Best of 2024 (Melodic Rock)
12:00-13:00 The Best of 2003-2024 (Melodic Hard Rock)
14:00-16:00 The Best of 2024 (Singer Songwriter)
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